As we are coming to the end of week two it feels as if I’ve been here for two days or two months. Either way, I am looking forward to the next 14 days.
Last week we were assigned a mini project, making a campaign plan for Vacation Saint Maarten (https://www.vacationstmaarten.com). By the end of the week, we had to present our mini project to the class. This was my first time doing a pretty in-depth plan for a business, so I really enjoyed this experience as a “test run”. We had to focus on a few different categories. The overview of the brand and the four Ps. The themes of the brand, the social media audit, the competitive set, purpose/desired outcomes, and the volume were also categories.
In my family, I am pretty much the one people go to for all social media concerns. Right off the bat this felt natural to judge and critique a company’s socials. Keeping all this in mind…. Sint Maarten still heavily depends on word of mouth. It is something to remember when critiquing their social media. The way I look at it is, in the US we are on level 10 social media, we are dependent and experienced. In Sint Maarten, it feels like they are trying to get past level one.
Throughout the week we had many excursions. On Tuesday, some girls and I decided to go to Phillipsburg (the capital of the Dutch side). This was our second time here, so we had a pretty good idea on where to go and what to do. Our favorite spot to hang out is this little bar (smallest bar in the world) called Juggie’s Place. Even though this is the smallest bar in the world it seems to be the most popular. Each time we come and visit, Juggie is ready for all our ROLL TIDE shenanigans.
His bar is covered with pictures, newspapers, stickers, ect…. There is memorabilia from ALL over the world, and you can tell Juggie and his bar are loved by ALL who come visit.
As I was looking around, I saw this typed up piece of paper.
“Any publicity is good publicity, but the best form is word of mouth publicity”. This is the ongoing theme I continue seeing around the island. Juggie started this bar over 20 years ago with barely any social media presence or publicity. It all started and grew because of his genuine passion and him being his authentic self. After seeing this paper it is easy to see that not only do tourist recognize word of mouth advertisement, but the locals PREFER it.
Later in the week we took a trip to Marigot (the capitol of the French side). Here we were able to shop around, grab a bite to eat, and just explore. This was our first time really getting to know the French side of the island.
The locals differentiate the two sides by: the Dutch side being more adventurous and the French side being relaxing.
My favorite part was going to the shopping mall there (picture above). Unlike the markets… There is NO negotiating prices. It definitely gave off a fancier vibe, very similar to the shopping malls I have back home. Andre (our bus driver) warned us that prices are much “prettier” on the French side (which was true).
There was one boutique in the mall I was fond of, so I talked to the owner and the first thing she did was give me her social media. The complete opposite of what I’ve experienced on the Dutch side.
Looking forward to noticing more little things like this, and ready for what next week has to offer.
Kyra Cassell
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